The Richland Police Department has fired Officer Joshua Hartfield for allegedly participating in the beating and torture of Michael Jenkins and Eddie Terrell Parker, Richland Police Chief Nick McLendon wrote in a letter to the community on July 3.
The police chief’s announcement of Hartfield’s termination came a week after Rankin County Sheriff Bryan Bailey said his department had fired five deputies in connection with violence against Jenkins and Parker.
“It is with profound sadness and heartfelt regret that we must confirm that former Officer Joshua Hartfield, while off duty, has been implicated in an incident occurring in Rankin County, Mississippi on January 24, 2023. We must express our deepest disappointment that a member of our department is claimed to be involved in a situation that goes against our department’s commitment to serve and protect the public,” McLendon wrote.
The police chief said the police department placed Hartfield on administrative leave before the officer resigned.
“As we navigate through this difficult time, we reaffirm our commitment to holding ourselves accountable. Just as we bring criminals to justice, so too (sic) must we hold ourselves to the same standards and answer for our actions,” McLendon wrote.
The Richland Police Department posted the full letter on its Facebook page.
Jenkins and Parker’s lawyers filed a lawsuit against Rankin County, Sheriff Bailey and the six officers on June 12. It named deputies Hunter Elward, Brett Mc’Alpin and Christian Dedmon as three of the defendants, along with three “John Doe deputies,” one of whom was McLendon.
Michael Jenkins (pictured right) left the University of Mississippi Medical Center on Feb. 14, 2023. He was at the facility for weeks of treatment for a gunshot wound to the mouth. A Rankin County deputy sheriff shot him in the early morning hours of Jan. 25, 2023, his attorneys alleged at a Feb. 15, 2023, press conference. With Jenkins (from the left) are one of his counsels, attorney Trent Walker and his mother, Mary Jenkins. Photo by Kayode Crown
Jenkins and Parker alleged that six officers entered and raided their home on Jan. 24 without a warrant then